Nokia debuts N79, N85 smart phones

The Finnish phone maker is expected Tuesday to take the lid off the two newest additions to its N-Series line of smart phones.

Nokia appears to be replacing two phones in its lineup, the earlier released N78 and N81. The N78 has been out since the 3GSM conference earlier this year, just recently making its way to the US: the N81 since late summer of last year.

Unlike past releases, where the company has announced its new phones months ahead of time, it is expected that both phones would quickly become available in the UK as early as October. Release dates for the rest of Europe are unknown at this time.

Guesses at a US release are for all intents and purposes a crapshoot. While Nokia has gotten better with releasing its smart devices here, generally that can come well after their release overseas.

Both the N78 and N81 are currently available in the US unlocked through Nokia's flagship retail stores and its Web site.

The N79 is expected to replace the N78. Upgrades are from a 3.2 to 5 megapixel camera, which would also include a flash. Harkening back to the days of the ever-popular 5100 series phones, part of the case would be swappable, in this case the back cover. It will include a 4 GB microSD card for music storage, plus include 3G, GPS, and Wi-Fi functionality.

On the other hand, the N85 should be the replacement for the N81, carrying over the N-Gage functionality of its predecessor. Here too, the camera would be upgraded to five megapixels, and the screen is upgraded to a 2.6-inch AMOLED. The N81 used a 2.4-inch QVGA screen.

Another change is that there may no longer be built in storage with the N85. Although it would still maintain the 8 GB capacity, its storage would be in the form of a removable microSD card like the N79. It is expected to be a 3G device as well, although reports indicate that the extent of international HSDPA support is not yet known.